The Gendered Brain: Do you have a female brain or a male brain? Or are we asking the wrong question?

For centuries both neuroscience and behavioural science have been pursuing a Hunt the Difference agenda, trying to find ways of characterising the differences between the brains and behaviour of females and males. But just how different are females and males? Can brain scientists tell the differences between female and male brains? Are females and males really distinguished by their levels of empathy or their map-reading skills? This talk revisits these old questions and offers an update from the perspective of 21st century cognitive neuroscience.
Professor Gina Rippon is Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University. Last year she won the British Psychological Society's book award in the popular science category.
Her research has involved state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to investigate developmental disorders such as autism. Her current research interests focus on the under-recognition of autism in women and girls, especially in neuroscience research. Her new book on this topic: The Lost Girls of Autism (UK)/Off the Spectrum (US) was released in April 2025. This was awarded the British Psychology Society Prize for Best Science Book in 2025, and was named a Book of the Year by the Telegraph and the New Scientist.
She also explores the use of neuroscience techniques to investigate social processes, especially those associated with the development of sex/gender differences in the human brain. She was a member of the Fawcett Society Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood, contributing to the report “Unlimited Potential”.
She is an outspoken critic of ’neurotrash’, the populist (mis)use of neuroscience research to (mis)represent our understanding of brain-behaviour links, particularly on the topic of sex/gender differences. Her book on such topics, ‘The Gendered Brain’, published by Bodley Head and Penguin Random House, came out in the UK in 2019. She is a member of the international NeuroGenderings network and has co-authored many papers on sex/gender neuroscience.
She is a passionate supporter of initiatives to address the under-representation of women in all spheres of influence, especially science. Under the heading “Mind the Gender Gap”, she has offered a neuroscience-informed approach to diversity and inclusivity initiatives to a wide range of business and political organisations, including the UK’s Cabinet Office and the EU.
The Hampshire Skeptics Society is a non-profit organisation for the promotion of science, reason and critical thinking. We run the Winchester Skeptics In The Pub group who meet at 7.00pm for 7:30 pm on the 4th Wednesday of every month (December is always an exception as the second Wednesday) at The Winchester Club in Winchester.
Admission is £5 which also gives you an entry in the book raffle. We take cash and major cards (cards preferred).
The event is in two parts – the talk and then a Q&A after the interval. We encourage you to support the venue by indulging in the available drinks before and during the event.
You are welcome to join us for a drink in the bar after the event. We also hold a monthly social event on the second Wednesday of the month (except December) at 07.00pm at the Bishop on the Bridge, Winchester.
What is a skeptic? Here is Dr. Steven Novella’s summary:
“A skeptic is one who prefers beliefs and conclusions that are reliable and valid to ones that are comforting or convenient, and therefore rigorously and openly applies the methods of science and reason to all empirical claims, especially their own. A skeptic provisionally proportions acceptance of any claim to valid logic and a fair and thorough assessment of available evidence, and studies the pitfalls of human reason and the mechanisms of deception so as to avoid being deceived by others or themselves. Skepticism values method over any particular conclusion.”